Propelling device for vessels.



A. R. LERRO.

PROPELLING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

APPLICAHON FILED NOV-2h l9l2.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

8 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W|TNESSE$ \NVENTOR L ANGELO RAFFAELE LERRO 3 BY ms ATTORNEY THE coLunmmL'LANOGRAPH (1).. WASHINGTON, D. c.

v A. R. LERRO.

'PROPELLING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED N0v.2l.1912.

1,172,892. Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNEE $ES INVENTOR ANGELO RAFFAELE LERRO BY msATTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm. WASHXNGTON, D4 c.

- UNTTEE STATES i GFFTCE,

ANGELO RAFFAELE LERRO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROPELLING DEVICE FOR VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern Be it. known that I, ANGELO RAFFAELE Lnnno, asubject of the King of Italy, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Propelling Devices for Vessels, ofwhich the fol lowing is a pecification.

My invention relates to vessel propelling devices of the paddle whee].type and incidentally to devices of that type where the paddle wheel issubmerged and exercises its propelling force while. its blades arepassing through the water in a longitudinal channel in the vessel, oneobject of my invention being to so construct the paddle wheel that itsblades will'be presented flatwise to the water during their rearwardmovement but will be turned to an edgewise position during their forwardmovement, a. further object being to provide for the ready removal andreplacing of the paddle wheel without necessitating the docking of thevessel or the removal of the same from the water.

These objects I attain in the manner herein after set forth, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a bottomview of a vessel constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 isa view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, on theline a e, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the well ofthe vessel which contains the paddle wheel; Fig. 1 is an inverted planor bottom view of the well and paddle wheel, and Fig. 5 is a Viewsimilar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modified type of vessel to which myinvention is applied.

Referring in the first instance to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, 1represents the hull of the vessel through the lower part of whichextends from bow to stern a central channel 2, which channel is alwayssubmerged and filled with water. lVithin the vessel and extending abovethe water line is a well 3 which also extends down to the bottom of thechannel 2, that portion of the well which lies alongside of the channel,however, being of segmental. form, as shown in Fig. 1, so that thisportion of the well presents an open side adjoining said channel. Withinthis submerged portion of the well is disposed a paddle wheel t carryinga series of blades which are pivoted oft center to the arms or otheravailable portions of the wheel, whereby the arm of the blade on oneside of the pivot is longer than Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Application filed November 21, 1912. Serial No. 732,691.

the arm on the opposite side thereof,

shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The paddle wheel is carried by a vertical shaft 6 which is adapted tobearings 7 and 8 located respectively in the top and bottom portions ofa tubular casing 9, the latter litting snugly to the upper portion ofthe well 3 and being detachably secured thereto in any suitable manner,the lower bearing 7 being provided with a stutling box 10 so as toprevent the access of water to the interior of the tubular casing 9, asshown in Fig. 3.

The vertical shaft 6 is rotated by an appropriate engine 11 preferablythrough the intervention of a horizontal shaft 12 which is geared to thevertical shaft 6 by means of bevel gears 13 and 1% and is adapted tobearings 15 mounted upon the top of the tubular casing 9 as shown inFig. 2, this shaft 12 being driven by spur gears 16 and 17 from theengine shaft and being, by preference, provided with a detachablecoupling 18 so that the section which is mounted in the bearings 15 canbe readily disconnected from the engine section when desired. When theshaft sections are thus disconnected, the tubular casing 9 and paddlewheel can be readily withdrawn from the well, without removing thevessel from the water, whenever it is desired to gain access to thepaddle wheel for purposes of inspection or repair.

Projecting upwardly from the long arm of each blade of the paddle wheelis a rod 19 and to the bottom of the tubular casing 9 is secured a cam20, which, as the paddle wheel rotates in the direction of the arrowshown in Fig. 1, engages the projecting upper end of said rod 19 andserves to move the long arm of the blade backwardly and inwardly untilsaid blade assumes a radial position in respect to the axis of rotationof the paddle wheel, as shown at 5 in Figs. 1 and 1, the blade beingprevented from moving beyond this position by reason of the contact ofthe rod 19 with its corresponding arm of the paddle wheel or with someother equivalent stop.

The location of the cam 20 in respect to the blades of the paddle wheeland their pins 19 is such that each blade will occupy the flatwise orradial position shown at 5 in 1, while passing through the water in thechannel 2 but aS the blade leaves the channel and enters the well 3 theshort arm of said blade comes into contact with the lifii l 9011 6; ofsaid well and causes the blade to turn until it assumes the positionshown at 5 in Fig. 1, and is thus caused to travel edgewise through thewater in the submerged portion of the well 3, the blade there foreoflering but little resistance to the water while in the well butexercising its full propulsive efi'ect while occupying the channel 2.

In order to insure the best eifect of the rear corner of the well uponthe short arm of the blade it is preferable to round or bevel said rearcorner of the well, as shown for instance at 21 in Figs. 1 and 2. Afeathering paddle wheel of the character which I have shown anddescribed may be used in vessels which employ partly submerged verticalpaddle wheels but its full benefits are obtained when the paddle wheelis wholly submerged.

In that type of vessel shown in Fig. 5 a pair of my improved paddlewheels are employed one on each side of the channel 2, the paddle wheelsin this case being operated synchronously so that their blades Will actin pairs upon the water in the channel. This arrangement also providesfor a distribution of the weight evenly on opposite sides of the keel.

I claim:

1. The combination of a vessel having a submerged longitudinal channeltherein and a vertical well whose lower portionis subchannel, a paddlewheel occupying said submerged portion of the well, and a tubularcasin'g carrying said paddle wheel and occupying the upper portion ofthe well, said tubular casing being closed at the bottom.

2. The combination of a vessel having a submerged longitudinal channeltherein and a vertical well whose lower portion is submerged and incommunication with said channel, a paddle wheel contained in saidsubmerged portion of the well, acasing can rying said paddle wheel andoccupying the upper portion of the well, a motive power engine, andmechanism for transmitting power from said engine to the paddle wheel,part of said mechanism being carried by the casing, and means fordisconnecting such part of the mechanism from the engine,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

merged and in communication with said

